To the Sunshine of My Life
by BearfootTruck
Summary: On Valentine's Day, Gaara hoofs it all the way to Konoha to give a gift to somebody in need. Rated T for suggestive content.


**A/N: To those who know me primarily for my _Sonic_ fics: I apologize for leaving "Reach Out, He'll Be There" unfinished for so long. See, I've been more into writing original fic and practicing music as of late, plus I've yet to beat _Forces_ , so yeah. To those who know me for the limited number of _Naruto_ fics I've done, here's something fluffier than my previous work to hold you over until I get into longer, more elaborate stuff. Hopefully, you've got someone special to spend today with. If not, that's okay, too. Regardless, read on!**

* * *

Another sunny day had graced the Village Hidden in the Leaves, or Konoha as it was informally known. As usual, people got up for work, school or whatever they did for their daily routines. However, this was no routine day in Konoha. It was the type of day where the colors of passion ruled.

In other words, it was Valentine's Day.

Some people scrambled to find the perfect gift and/or card to express their sentiments to that special someone. Others had something picked out in advance. Still, others thought that it was a silly holiday and wanted absolutely nothing to do with it.

However, on this day, there was somebody who was so engrossed with this particular day that they were willing to travel from afar in order to spend it with their special someone.

That somebody was Gaara, fifth Kazekage of the Village Hidden in the Sand, or Suna as it was informally known.

He was one of those people who had planned out his valentine well in advance. Of course, Temari and Kankuro had given him a good ribbing about it, but he ignored it. In the past, such a thing would have prompted him to build a sand coffin for each of them, but after a certain battle, he learned to live and let live.

As Gaara approached the entry gate to Konoha, he got a butterfly or two in his stomach. Under ordinary circumstances, he would have been nonchalant about coming and going from the village, but these were no ordinary circumstances. Nevertheless, he kept his head up high and stepped through the gate like a champ. It didn't take long for people to notice his presence.

"Hey look, it's Gaara!"

"What's up, man?"

"We love you!"

Naturally, more than one girl came up to him and offered him valentines. At least one guy did the same thing. Even a person whose gender Gaara was unable to determine offered him one. Despite his extraordinary self-control, Gaara was unable to stop from blushing. Still, he gracefully accepted every gift and card thrust his way, pocketed them in his own personal hammerspace and moved along.

"Good morning to you, Gaara!"

"Good morning to you too, Lee."

"I am honored to be in your presence today!" said Rock Lee. "What brings you to our humble village?"

"I'm here to deliver a valentine to somebody."

"And who might be lucky enough to get one from you?"

Gaara crossed his arms. "I refuse to tell, for it's a secret."

"Very well, I will respect your wishes! Have a good day!"

"You too."

* * *

Gaara and Lee went their own ways. Gaara hummed "Konoha Afternoon" to himself as he continued his stroll.

"Hello there, Gaara!"

"Hello there, Hinata."

"Are you here to celebrate Valentine's Day with us?" asked Hinata Hyuga.

"As a matter of fact, I am."

"Wow, that's really sweet of you to come visit us! Do you have anyone special to celebrate it with?"

"I do, and I'm not saying who it is."

"Gaara, you can tell me; I promise I'll keep it a secret!"

"I'm sorry, but I don't trust anybody to keep it a secret."

Hinata frowned. "OK, I understand."

"However, I will say this: it's somebody you all know."

"Oh?" Hinata blinked.

"I'll see you later, Hinata."

"Have a nice day!"

Hinata stroked her chin.

( _Who can it be now?_ )

* * *

As Gaara moved on, he hummed "More Than a Woman" to himself. He was so engrossed with the tune that he bumped into somebody by accident.

"Would it kill you to watch where you're going?" said Shikamaru Nara.

"I apologize for my mistake."

Shikamaru crossed his arms. "Apology accepted, I guess."

"How's your Valentine's Day going, Shikamaru?"

"You mean my Overly Commercialized Paean to Love Day? It's okay…I guess."

"Okay? You should be honored to have graced somebody with your gesture of love."

"Gaara, what the hell are you talking about?"

"I spoke with Temari earlier this day. She swooned when she talked about the valentine she received from you."

"First of all, Temari and I are no more than friends, and second of all, if you think I would take part in all this commercialized crap, then you're sorely mistaken."

"Valentine's Day isn't all about buying gifts. Even a homemade card is a sufficient token of appreciation."

"Look, just give it up. I have better things to do than waste my time with this silly holiday."

"Well then, I shall not bother you for the rest of the day. Have a good day."

"Yeah yeah."

* * *

Gaara switched tunes, this time humming "Why Can't This Be Love". Once again, it didn't take long for somebody to accost him.

"Hey hey, if it isn't the Kazekage himself!"

"Hello, Konohamaru."

"Who's your lucky valentine today?"

"It's a secret."

"A secret?" Konohamaru laughed. "Gaara, don't be shy!"

"I'm not being shy; I simply don't trust anybody with the answer."

"Why not?"

"Because, I don't."

"Why not?"

"Why did you repeat that?"

"Because I wanna know, that's why!"

"Konohamaru, it took me a long time to reform myself after that fateful day so many years ago. To recede to my old ways would not only bring great sadness to me and the remnants of my family, but it would also dishonor the efforts that my hometown has made to patch relations with yours. Nevertheless, if you keep pestering me, then I will have no choice but to kill you."

"Kill me? KILL ME? Sacrilege! In the name of my grandfather and uncle, I'll strike you down!"

Konohamaru delivered a swift punch to Gaara's groin. Gaara didn't even budge one inch.

"I've lost my faith in the system!"

Konohamaru ran away screaming. However, Gaara chose not to pursue him. Instead he moved on and hummed "Wind" to himself.

* * *

The afternoon sun was beginning to cast a shadow over Hokage Rock by the time Gaara got to his destination: a small house in the ghetto. Well, it was too nice of an area to be considered a ghetto in the traditional sense, but compared to other neighborhoods in similar villages, it might as well have been. He knocked on the door.

Nothing.

Gaara knocked on the door again.

Still nothing.

After a few more seconds and a third round of knocking, still no response.

"Open up, it's Gaara!"

Again, there was no response. Gaara tried the doorbell, but it was broken.

"Please, open up!"

This time, after a minute's worth of waiting and worry, Gaara used his sand to make a lock pick. Once the door was unlocked, Gaara removed his footwear and went inside. Inside, he couldn't help but marvel at how clean the house was. Granted, it needed a few repairs, but it was in otherwise good condition. Gaara then closed the door. Without the outside noise interfering, it was awfully quiet inside, and yet Gaara got a chill up and down his spine. He proceeded slowly throughout, hoping to find out what was causing the unusual sensation. At one door, he paused. Even though he figured that this was what was poking at him, he slowly opened the door and found the bedroom, where a certain someone was curled up in the fetal position, crying…

"Naruto…?"

"Go away!" said Naruto Uzumaki.

"Naruto, what's wrong?"

Naruto threw his arms up. "What's wrong? WHAT'S WRONG!? I'll tell you what's wrong! I barely got any valentines today!"

Gaara stepped inside. "I'm sorry to hear that. Do you want to talk about it?"

"I was just trying to be nice to people, but everybody except Sakura and Hinata turned me down! Sai even called me a loser just because HE got more valentines than me!"

Gaara closed the door. "I'm sorry to hear that. If it means anything to you, I'd like to make it better…"

"HOW!? You probably got more valentines than I did! What's the use? Maybe I'd be better off if I just went away and never came back!"

"Naruto, don't say that!"

"Why not!? My life has been miserable ever since I was born! Even with all the missions I completed, it still doesn't matter if…if…"

Naruto continued crying. Gaara closed his eyes briefly and gulped. Not wanting to see his friend in such pain, he fumbled around in hammerspace until he found what he was looking for…

"Naruto…I have something for you…"

Gaara produced a pink card with a picture of a sun on the front.

"Huh…?"

Naruto stopped crying briefly and accepted the card. Upon opening it, he found the following poem:

TO THE SUNSHINE OF MY LIFE

By Gaara

Before I met you, my life was dark,  
Consumed by hatred, cursed by the mark.  
Trying to find light, without success,  
Searching for meaning, always oppressed.

When I saw your hair, I saw the light.  
When I saw your eyes, I felt all right.  
When I heard your voice, I heard a song.  
You had a face that could do no wrong.

When I hurt your friends, I hurt myself.  
I could not put my pride on the shelf.  
Nevertheless, with you on my mind,  
I began to see where I was blind.

With each punch we threw, I learned to love,  
I no longer felt rain clouds above.  
Instead, I felt more alive inside,  
I could not let my true feelings hide.

We grew out of hate from days of yore,  
And now I feel that we can be more.  
You brought to me eternal sunshine,  
And now I ask: will you please be mine?

Naruto was absolutely speechless after reading the poem.

"Naruto…did you like it?"

Naruto's hands and lips began to tremble. He drew in sharp breaths through his nose, and tears began to form once again.

"Oh Gaara…Gaara…I…I…I LOVE YOU!"

Naruto practically threw himself at Gaara and held him as tightly as he could, crying even harder than before. With heaviness in his heart, Gaara returned the embrace. He couldn't believe that something as simple as a piece of paper could invoke such powerful emotions within somebody, but he'd done it. In spite of their mutual sadness, they also really enjoyed what was going on, Naruto because he got to let out what was aching him, and Gaara because he got to share in somebody else's feelings and know that he wasn't alone. Gaara gently rubbed Naruto's back, trying to avoid the tornado of emotions from crushing him as well. Eventually, the storm passed, and even when Naruto was reduced to mere sniffles, Gaara didn't loosen his grip. Hugging someone just felt that comfortable to him, not to mention fulfilling. Even the rare hugs that Gaara received from his father seemed hollow by comparison. Finally, when the hug stopped, he saw a Naruto whose frown had not quite been erased, but who was clearly more chipper than before.

"Are you all right?" Gaara dug into his jacket pocket and handed a tissue to Naruto.

Naruto blew his nose. "Am I all right? Let me explain something to you: what you did was one of the best things that anybody's EVER done for me, believe it!"

"Really?"

Naruto smiled. "Really!"

The sheer unbridled happiness produced by Naruto had somehow spilled over to Gaara.

"There's the smile I like to see!" said Gaara.

"Get used to it, because you're going to be seeing it a lot more!" said Naruto.

"It certainly suits you better than a frown!"

"Yeah, it feels much better, too!"

"And so it should! Oh, and Naruto…"

"Yeah?"

Gaara rested his arms on Naruto's shoulders. After holding eye contact for a brief moment, Gaara pulled Naruto in and began kissing him. Welcoming the extra warmth, Naruto returned the embrace. Just because he'd expected to receive it didn't make it any less pleasurable for the nine-tailed hero. What he didn't expect, however, was for one of Gaara's arms to slide back and the hand attached to it to gently glide down his chest. Gaara continued moving his hand downwards until he was touching Naruto's crotch, at which point he gave it a firm yet gentle grab. Naruto's eyes widened at the unexpected touch, and yet he didn't back off from the embrace. Rather, he surrendered to Gaara's whims. The sensation of color rushing to his face, combined with the ability to hear his own heartbeat, was too pleasurable to Naruto. Eventually, Gaara broke away from the kiss, but kept his grip on Naruto's crotch.

"…I love you, too."

Finally, Gaara slowly let go of Naruto's crotch, leaving Naruto with a big smile on his face.

"Aw, you're too kind!" said Naruto.

Gaara chuckled. "Who do you think I got it from?"

"Well, it obviously COULDN'T be me! I'm too much of a hyperactive knucklehead to be kind to anybody! Believe it!"

"For once, I don't believe it! But enough idle chatter; the day still has life left in it, and I couldn't think of anybody I'd rather spend the rest of it with! Now, what shall we do?"

"You know, I'm actually pretty hungry! Why don't we grab a nice, hot bowl of ramen together?"

"Ramen? With ox tongue?"

Naruto stuck out his tongue in disgust. However, he laughed it off not long after.

"Whatever you want, my love!" said Naruto.

"Splendid!"

And so, the two ninja left Naruto's house and strolled on to the nearest ramen joint. Though neither of them could truly predict the future, they knew that if they believed in such a curious thing as the power of love, then things just might work out.


End file.
